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You know, it's cool that this thread kind of morphed form my original idea, where we talk about final, powerful last shots into films, into a sort of game where we post and identify a film based on its last shot, memorable or not.

Proceed!

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We can go from boom to bust -From dreams to a bowl of dust- We can fall from rockets' red glare- Down to "Brother can you spare..." Another war, Another wasteland ..And another lost generation

"Hey Doc you better back up, we don't have road to get up to 88.""Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads."

*POWER OF LOVE INTRO*

Flying Spaghetti Monster wrote:

You know, it's cool that this thread kind of morphed form my original idea, where we talk about final, powerful last shots into films, into a sort of game where we post and identify a film based on its last shot, memorable or not.

Welp...

I love this shot because, after an hour or so of (mostly) fun and games as Graysmith pursues his passion, we're reminded right at the end of the tragedy and horror of the killing spree. This young man just looks destroyed, even after all the years since. (@FSM: cool story! )

"There's a storm coming.""I know."

Not much subtlety here, but sometimes one doesn't need any. Sarah's a forever changed woman, determined to take the future on.

DalekJim wrote:

Vertigo -

Any other film would have ruined it with some shitty resolution epilogue that ends the movie on a more "complete" note. Vertigo gives the audience no such comfort. Abrupt death, complete despair, end of the movie.

Masterful.

Aye, Hitch certainly knew how to end a film. Here's an alternate ending I once cooked up to PJ's King Kong, inspired by the Master:

I love this shot because, after an hour or so of (mostly) fun and games as Graysmith pursues his passion, we're reminded right at the end of the tragedy and horror of the killing spree. This young man just looks destroyed, even after all the years since.

I completely agree with this. It's a reminder that this case had human victims and it's not about jurisdictions, puzzles fax machines, handwriting, or any of that. There were people affected by this.

That said,I do think that Zodiac, in many ways, not really about a serial killer, or even the search for him. That might be the story, but it doesn't really grasp the entirety of theme. I think that these story elements, cvertainly powerful enough on their own to carry a film, all support what I believe the more overt theme of the film: America's plunge into the unknown domain into the "Information Age." This film is as much about communication and processing information as it is about anyhting else, just as new technologies (like the aforementioned fax machines, as well as computers) unite all the facets, from newspaper organizations to police operations to the Federal Government, and all the players involved find that they have to work their way through the idea of using these things and sharing in order to get a handle on this case. Nowadays communication between all of these parties is relatively smooth, and it was getting there during the time of the film, but there were flaws, and all of them were touched on in the movie. I like how, late in the film, when Graysmith visited Avery at his house, Fincher had a game of Pong playing on the television.. placing us in a certain time contextually to remind where were technologically. That's one of the great things about this film, is how we are always given the time and the context against which this investigation played out, despite how long it lasted.

__________________
We can go from boom to bust -From dreams to a bowl of dust- We can fall from rockets' red glare- Down to "Brother can you spare..." Another war, Another wasteland ..And another lost generation

That was pretty standard for dystopian SF films in the seventies. It was STAR WARS that broke that mold, at least where A-list sf movies were concerned.

I'm trying to think of exceptions, and each that pops in my head, I go "Nope...nope...nope."

For the sake of spoilers I'll just say that James Caan, Don Johnson and David Carradine movies are greatly outweighed by the films in your thesis. Even the last Dr. Phibes film has a happy ending...but for the wrong guy.

That was pretty standard for dystopian SF films in the seventies. It was STAR WARS that broke that mold, at least where A-list sf movies were concerned.

I'm trying to think of exceptions, and each that pops in my head, I go "Nope...nope...nope."

For the sake of spoilers I'll just say that James Caan, Don Johnson and David Carradine movies are greatly outweighed by the films in your thesis. Even the last Dr. Phibes film has a happy ending...but for the wrong guy.

And I'd argue that that Don Johnson movie didn't exactly have a "traditional" happy ending.

I remember reading an essay by Samuel L. Delany in which he praised STAR WARS for, if nothing else, putting a stake through the idea that big-budget, prestige scif movies didn't have to be somber, dystopian, cautionary tales . . . .

But as folks are having fun discussing in the Uncle Owen...thread, there's some dark stuff in that film And it's been noted the end shot (just to keep on topic) owes something to Riefenstahl.

Speaking of Heston earlier, I vaguely remember a film saw on TV where he was attacked by killer ants at or near climax. But can't remember if it was actual ending. That actor really suffered for his art!

But as folks are having fun discussing in the Uncle Owen...thread, there's some dark stuff in that film And it's been noted the end shot (just to keep on topic) owes something to Riefenstahl.

Speaking of Heston earlier, I vaguely remember a film saw on TV where he was attacked by killer ants at or near climax. But can't remember if it was actual ending. That actor really suffered for his art!